The Symbolism of Menstruation

Dr. Nelson Soucasaux , Brazilian gynecologist

As I have observed in my article "Psychosomatic and Symbolic Aspects
of Menstruation" (published here at the MUM),
the way women experience the menstrual bleeding is one of the many parameters
by which we can evaluate their pattern of relationship with the female nature.
Considering the powerful archetypal symbolism of blood, we can easily deduce
that, for women, the constant experience of this cyclical uterine bleeding
which is menstruation greatly increases their capacity of deeply experiencing
the organic and visceral processes typical of the female nature, especially
those related to their sexual organs and the intimacy of their pelvis.

Given the enormous emotional and archetypal importance of the genitals,
bleedings originating from these organs even physiological, as menstruation,
finish by acquiring a very special symbolism. Several fantasies associating
blood and sexuality may arise. In this way, through the symbolism of menstruation
women can somatically express many of their psycho-sexual and emotional
problems. Through the psychosomatic pathways, innumerable conflicts related
to women's nature can be directly or indirectly projected on the body, originating
the more varied menstrual alterations. On the other hand, through the somatopsychic
pathways, menstrual dysfunctions can give rise to several psychological
conflicts regarding this aspect of female nature. Therefore, menstrual bleeding
is always endowed with a very powerful symbolic force.

In some cases, excessive and/or prolonged menstrual bleedings (hypermenorrhea
or menorrhagia) caused by functional disorders in the intricate mechanisms
of the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovaries axis, can also be a way of expressing
a "wounded" femininity, which "vanishes and fades away in
blood" through the genitals. From the psychosomatic point of view,
intense menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea) often physically caused by an increased
production of prostaglandins in the premenstrual and menstrual endometrium,
are regarded by some authors as a possible rejection of menstruation and/or
even to the female nature itself. In cases of serious conflicts concerning
femininity, the menstrual bleeding itself can be experienced as a "hardship,"
a "trial" inherent to woman's nature. Possibly the present-day
proposal of artificially supressing the menses through the uninterrupted
use of hormones is becoming highly widespread just due to this old feelings
of rejection caused by menstruation, now regrettably reinforced by those
who defend the hormonal menstrual suppression even by reasons of minor medical
importance.

On the other hand - though this will bother many feminists -, H.-J.
Prill has mentioned that, according to Helene Deutsch, a supposed "fundamentally
masochist" psychological structure of women also would contribute to
the development of pathological ways of experiencing menstruation. Thus,
many times unhealthy symbolism of the menstrual bleeding would be reinforced
by stimulating masochist fantasies ( H.-J. Prill, "Ginecologia Psicosomatica",
Editorial Alhambra, Madrid, 1966 ).

Regardless of all of this, we know quite well that the establishment
of such pathological ways of experiencing this cyclical uterine bleeding
which is menstruation also happens as a consequence of the old prejudices
and misconceptions regarding this event of female physiology and nature,
many of which, unfortunately, haven't been entirely eradicated yet. Nevertheless,
I want to emphasize the fact that innumerable psychological mechanisms
can be and are involved in menstrualdisorders as well as in
any other gynecologic problem. Moreover, in the area of psychosomatic medicine
everything happens according to highly individual patterns, and we must
never forget that each person is one person - and, obviously, in gynecology
each woman is one woman. As I have observed in my book "Novas Perspectivas
em Ginecologia" ("New Perspectives in Gynecology"), the very
specific aspects of all psychosomatic projections depend on individual predispositions
for determined disturbances and on the meaning of the somatizations within
the whole personality and life of each woman. In this way, I want to make
it clear that the psychosomatic "mechanisms" mentioned here are
nothing more than generalizationsregarding only some of the many
possible situations.

Menstruation has always been surrounded by a rich mythology, characterized
not only by aspects regarded as positive, but also as negative. As I always
emphasize, this periodic uterine bleeding is an important archetypal symbol
of women's nature, and the regular occurrence of which is the more evident
external sign of the cyclical feature that characterizes female physiology.
The coming of menstruation indicates both the end of a cycle that terminates
and the beginning of a new one. Menarche, which occurs in the middle of
the puberal changes through which the girl's body acquires the features
of the adult woman, is usually endowed with a very special symbolic meaning.
Conversely, in a way menopause symbolizes the decline of femininity at the
somatic level.

Unfortunately, there are also the old prejudices and misconceptions
about the menstrual flow, often associating it with something "impure"
or "dangerous" that, for this reason, should be eliminated and
expelled from the body. At a conscious level, for the modern and educated
women these misconceptions are already mostly outmoded. Even so, some "remnants"
of them can still remain acting unconsciously, aggravating and even originating
several cases of premenstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhea. Probably even the
old idea of an "impurity" or "toxicity" intrinsic to
the menstrual blood and content was reinforced by the physical discomforts
that often precede and accompany the menses.*
The often intricate and problematic group of signs and symptoms that characterize
the premenstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhea results, in turn, from physiological
alterations in women's bodies that, through the somatopsychic pathways,
can stimulate the emergence of negative archetypal contents regarding this
cyclical uterine bleeding. It is also possible that, in ancient times, the
predominantly "obscure" view of menstruation had originated exactly
from these physiological premenstrual and menstrual symptoms allied to the
powerful symbolic psychological meaning of this genital bleeding.

In mythologic and esoteric literature many references can be found to
"powerful magic forces" attributed to menstruating women, characterized
both by positive and negative aspects. Nevertheless, it is fundamental to
remark that whenever we analyze this sort of material, we must be fully
aware that, in this field, concepts and ideas are presented through an essentially
symbolic language, and that, according to Jungian psychology, it is mostly
through symbolism that the archetypal contents of the collective mind become
evident.

From the standpoint of archetypal psychology, in the positive aspects
of the old menstrual myths we can verify an association between the magical
meaning of women as sources of life, symbols of eros and fertility, and
the magical meaning of blood as vital fluid. In the specific case of menstruation,
blood flows exactly from the female genitals, situated in the depth of the
woman's belly. The innumerable fantasies that were always created about
the female sexual organs reinforce this symbolism of the menstrual bleeding.

As to the negative aspects of the old menstrual myths, I have already
observed that they possibly had originated from the widely known signs and
symptoms that often precede and go along with the menses, and that include
emotional alterations and even changes in the behaviour (the psychical manifestations
of the premenstrual syndrome). We also must observe that, in the past, the
association of the usually "traumatic" symbolism of blood losses
in general with the physical discomforts that often accompany menstruation
must also have contributed considerably to making this event of female physiology
acquire unfavourable connotations.

The possible cause for the development of all menstrual mythology -
not only in its positive but also negative aspects - was the result of the
association between the mystery and the fascination of women, the fantasies
about the female genitals, the symbolism of blood and blood losses, and
the signs and symptoms of the premenstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhea.

The text above is based on excerpts from my book " Os Órgãos
Sexuais Femininos: Forma, Função, Símbolo e Arquétipo"
("The Female Sexual Organs: Shape, Function, Symbol and Archetype"),
published by Imago Editora, Rio de Janeiro, 1993. For more information on
the book, see page http://www.nelsonginecologia.med.br/orgaos.htm,
from my website www.nelsonginecologia.med.br

Copyright Nelson Soucasaux 1993, 2002
___________________________

Nelson Soucasaux is a gynecologist dedicated to clinical, preventive
and psychosomatic gynecology. Graduated in 1974 by Faculdade de Medicina
da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he is the author of several
articles published in medical journals, and of the books "Novas Perspectivas
em Ginecologia" ("New Perspectives in Gynecology") and "Os
Órgãos Sexuais Femininos: Forma, Função, Símbolo
e Arquétipo" ("The Female Sexual Organs: Shape, Function,
Symbol and Archetype"), published by Imago Editora, Rio de Janeiro,
1990, 1993.